Wednesday, September 5, 2012

At a “Newsmakers Live” session at the NASCAR Hall of Fame Tuesday, ABC's Diane Sawyer jokingly asked a question someone brought up to her on the elevator – whether speakers would be allowed to bring props on the stage at the DNC like Clint Eastwood did. Colleague Jake Tapper brought up whether the campaign was serious about covering up the Bank of America Stadium name. Campaign staffers said no – it would only be embarrassing for someone who opposed Wall Street reform. …
Big kerfuffle on the Web this week about improper lodging for visiting journalists. John Fund of National Review says their staffers were stuck at Knights Inns. “Everyone who saw them fled immediately across state lines to an available Marriott in South Carolina rather than stay there. As one of our political correspondents reported: ‘Two guys were dealing drugs in the room next to me, and a prostitute was working out of the parking lot. And this was in the early afternoon. The room itself was dirty, full of other people’s stuff.’ … Staff members from Politico and The Hill abandoned their assigned hotels, too. Staffers from The Hill found refuge in a cheap Microtel and considered it a comparative oasis. … Replied Jim Newell on Wonkette: “There are no union hotels in Charlotte. You may remember this caused a bit of tension within the Democratic coalition! Well, you get the hotel workers you pay for.” …
NPR’s Audie Cornish says in a report that enthusiasm for President Barack Obama in Charlotte isn’t as intense at it was four years ago in Denver. “I mean totally in a superficial way, I can say there’s definitely a difference in merchandise. … You see a couple buttons here and there that say ‘Obama 2012’ but it’s not the way it was where every three feet you walked past someone in an Obama T-shirt.” … “PBS NewsHour” reporter Ray Suarez poses a thoughtful question of interest to Charlotte and other future convention sites: “Cities that take on these national events also agree to have their downtowns ringed in barriers, concrete bollards and chain-link fences. But surely also, there’s reason to wonder if a major American city must become an armed camp to host a party political event.” …
CNN’s White House correspondent Jessica Yellin has just finished a 90-minute special “Obama Revealed: The Man, The President,” airing next at 9:30 p.m. Sunday, that delves into the perception his demeanor is too cool. She said Tuesday that she found Obama, who grew up without a father, prefers to spend time with his family rather than entertaining at the White House and building bridges. “He’s not a Bill Clinton kind of president. He doesn’t have that need for new relationships.” …
When class of 2007 Hopewell High grads Kevin Beaty and Scott Lazes graduated in May from college – Boston University and Rutgers, respectively, they decided to jump into the film business. They bought some video equipment and began shooting short documentaries about Charlotte – like about the city arborist or the culture at Charlotte’s busiest fire station. Now they’re focusing on the DNC. There are now nearly 100 short films at CharlotteVideoProject.com. “It’s a passion project for us,” says Lazes.